The problem of conflating criticism of Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza with antisemitism in Grand Rapids

“Definitions of antisemitism that treat criticism of Israel or of Zionism as inherently antisemitic are inaccurate and harmful. The majority of Jews are not Israeli, and not all citizens of Israel are Jewish. Israel is a state; Zionism is a political ideology; Judaism and Jewish identity encompass a diversity of religious and secular expressions and a robust, varied set of traditions, cultures, and lived experiences. The misplaced focus of those who demonize Palestinian rights advocacy while ignoring or defending the antisemitism of white supremacists dilutes the understanding of antisemitism and makes it ever more difficult to fight.”  From the book, On Antisemitism: Solidarity and the Struggle for Justice. 

There are numerous prominent Jewish groups in the US that conflate anti-Zionism with antisemitism. Some of the most prominent groups that conflate anti-Zionism with antisemitism are the Anti-Defamation League, Stand With Us, the Jewish Federation and the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). 

In the most recently monthly newsletter published by the Grand Rapids Chapter of the Jewish Federation, there is an article on page 15, with the headline, Do Not Forget! Anti-Zionism is Antisemitism!

The group Stand With Us, which works primarily on US college campuses, provides students who are pro-Israel with a handbook entitled, The Hasbara Handbook: Promoting Israel on Campus. The word Hasbara is a Hebrew word that essentially means propaganda. In this handbook it states that “it is often better to score points than to engage in actual arguments, and offers an explanation for how, in its own words, “to score points whilst avoiding debate.” One example the handbook provides is to conflate anti-Zionism or criticism of Israel with antisemitism, because this tactic will often silence those who are critics of Israel. 

Think about it, over the past month as Israel has retaliated against the Hamas attack on October 7, the most common response lobbed against those who have taken to the streets to criticize Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza, has been that their protests against Israel are antisemitic. In fact, even the protests that are led by groups like Jewish Voices for Peace or If Not Now (Jewish movement critical of Israel) are often labeled as antisemitic or, at times, they are referred to as “self-hating Jews.” 

Being called an antisemitic can be a chilling experience and it often results in self-censorship. It is an understandable reaction, because for people who genuinely want to stand against oppression, we can never tolerate antisemitism in our lives nor in the movements we are apart of. We all have to do the hard work of denouncing antisemitism and holding each other accountable when it surfaces. Having said that, we also must pay close attention to the conflation of criticism of Israel to antisemitism, particularly now. 

Here are some useful resources that are worth looking at, which will challenge the notion that criticism of Israel is the same as antisemitism. 

“Distorted Definition: Redefining anti-Semitism to silence advocacy for Palestinian rights” – Palestine Legal’s extensive resource on the Israel lobby’s attempts to redefine anti-Jewish bigotry 

The Israel Lobby: USA – Watch the film the Israel lobby didn’t want you to see, a four-part undercover investigation by Al Jazeera into Israel’s covert influence campaign in the United States 

“Palestine and the anxiety of existence” – Steven Salaita on confronting and dismantling the myths of Zionism 

“IHRA definition of anti-Semitism silences solidarity” – Rowan Gaudet’s sharp analysis on the weaponization of anti-Semitism to silence Israel’s critics

Lastly, here is recently created short documentary by the group Electronic Intifada, which deconstructs the notion that anti-Zionism is the same as antisemitism.